


Butterflies

by carolinecrane



Series: Trains [6]
Category: Glee
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-05-02
Updated: 2011-05-02
Packaged: 2017-10-18 21:50:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,345
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/193673
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/carolinecrane/pseuds/carolinecrane
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which our boys go shopping. Set during parts 15 and 16 of Trains.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Butterflies

It starts with a phone call. On a Tuesday night, and it’s not like anything important happens on Tuesday, so Will doesn’t even look at the screen before he answers his cell phone. He’s expecting Shannon, or maybe his dad, but when he hears the familiar voice his stomach curls into a tight knot of...something.

“Hey, Mr. Schue.”

“Finn,” Will says, and he’s maybe a little more breathless than he should be, considering. “To...uh...to what do I owe the pleasure?”

For a second the only answer he gets is silence, and he’s starting to wonder if the call got dropped when Finn clears his throat and answers. “So Rachel’s planning a party, kind of a shower for Puck and Kurt, I guess. And my mom’s helping her plan it, so I figured you, uh, you might want to go. To the shower.”

Will knows what his answer has to be. He can hear Shannon already, berating him for picking up the phone in the first place, and again for so much as considering saying anything other than ‘I’m sorry, Finn, but that’s not a good idea’. And she’s right; Will knows it, just like he knows it was a bad idea to let Finn stay in his room during Nationals.

He opens his mouth to say so, but instead all that comes out is, “Finn, I...”

“It’s a week from Saturday,” Finn says as soon as Will starts talking, the words tumbling out of him as though he’s nervous about whatever he’s about to say. “I don’t know what time yet, but I’ll get Rachel to send you an invitation if you want. She made them register for presents and stuff, but you don’t have to get them anything. I mean, I just thought you should be there. Since they wouldn’t have gotten together if it weren’t for Glee and all.”

“Finn, I’d like to, really...”

“Great,” Finn interrupts, and he sounds so _happy_ about it that it’s hard to let him down. But Will knows he has to, so he closes his eyes and runs a hand through his hair and takes a deep breath before he answers.

“I can’t. Your stepdad...”

“Burt won’t mind,” Finn says, like he actually believes it. Will knows better; he saw Burt’s expression in Figgins’ office just the day before, and he knows how Finn’s stepfather feels about him. And the thing is, Will doesn’t really blame him, so he knows the best thing he can do is stay far away from Puck and Kurt’s wedding shower.

“Come on, Mr. Schue, you have to come. It’ll be awesome, you’ll see.”

Will sighs and runs his hand through his hair for the second time. He should put his foot down. He should tell Finn no, that it would be inappropriate as long as he’s still their teacher. But it’s just a party, and the kids’ parents are going to be there. He could just show long enough to wish Puck and Kurt well, then go home. There’s no harm in that, right?

“Okay,” he says, and when he pictures Finn’s smile he can’t quite stifle a smile of his own. “You’ve convinced me.”

“Excellent. You won’t regret it, Mr. Schue,” Finn says, but something tells Will he just might.

~

Rachel hands him an invitation to the shower the very next day, complete with registry information. Will manages a vague thank you as she smiles at him and then drops a few hints about the gifts that would be most useful to the happy couple, then she’s off again, striding down the hall to hand out more invitations.

Will sighs, then he looks down at the invitation in his hand. It’s obvious she worked hard on them; they’ve been printed on card stock, with little entwined hearts at the top and what looks like scans of Kurt and Puck’s senior yearbook pictures inside each heart. There’s a line of gold glitter bordering the entire thing, and Will knows that everyone who receives an invitation is going to be finding bits of glitter stuck to them for days.

They’re sort of...ridiculous, for lack of a better word, and Will laughs when he imagines Kurt’s reaction to them. He tucks his own invitation into his desk drawer, and he doesn’t forget about it, but he manages to ignore it for the rest of the day.

By the time he’s done fighting for the attention of several classes full of students less than a month away from summer vacation, he manages to forget all about it. He doesn’t even think about it until the next day, when he looks up at the end of his Spanish IV class to find Finn lingering in front of his desk.

“Finn,” Will says, surprise and maybe a little tension in his voice. “What’s on your mind?”

“It’s about Kurt and Puck’s shower.”

And this is the moment, that one he didn’t realize he’d been expecting until now. The moment that Finn frowns and looks him right in the eye while he tells Will he’s sorry, but Burt’s on the warpath and there’s no way Finn can bring him to the shower. Like Will’s his date or something, only that was never the arrangement. Will flushes at the thought and clears his throat, leans forward carefully and folds his hands on his desk in his best teacher impression.

“Oh?”

“Yeah. It’s just...I mean, I looked at the stuff they registered for. I even helped them pick out the dishes, sort of. But the thing is, it’s my brother and my best friend. I want to get them something awesome, you know?”

Will nods and swallows the relieved sigh he really wants to let out. He’s not even sure _why_ he’s so relieved, because the thought of actually showing up at Kurt and Puck’s shower sort of makes him want to throw up. Mostly because he knows Burt’s going to be there, and no matter what Finn says, Will’s pretty sure Burt’s not going to welcome him with open arms.

“I’m sure they’ll love whatever you give them, Finn, as long as it comes from the heart.”

“Yeah, but how can I tell from just those little pictures on the website? I was thinking maybe I should go check the stuff out in person. So what do you say?”

“About what?” Will asks, squeezing his hands a little tighter together on top of his desk.

“About going wedding present shopping with me. I was thinking Saturday, that way we can take our time, maybe grab some lunch or something after,” Finn says, then he runs his palms over his thighs like he’s actually nervous about Will’s answer. And that’s a good enough reason to say no immediately, but when Will looks up at Finn’s face again he looks so hopeful that Will’s heart actually clenches in his chest.

“Finn, I don’t think...”

“You don’t have to get them anything,” Finn says, talking right over him, and Will thinks back to their last phone conversation. The conversation where he got himself into this mess in the first place, all because he kept letting Finn talk. “It’s just...I could use the company. For advice, you know?”

“Where are they registered?” Will asks, pulling open his drawer and fishing for the invitation.

“Target and some pottery store.”

“Pottery Barn,” Will says, frowning at the invitation for a second before he looks up at Finn again. “The closest Target is thirty miles away, and the closest Pottery Barn is in Toledo. Why would they register for two stores that aren’t anywhere near here?”

“That was Rachel,” Finn answers, which, surprisingly enough, explains a lot. “She figured people could just order online, but like I said...”

“You want your gift to be special.” Will smiles when Finn blushes, then he unfolds his hands and stands up, rounding the desk to lean against the front of it. “I’m flattered that you put so much faith in my opinion, but wouldn’t your mom be a better choice for this?”

Instead of answering Finn shrugs, then he turns a little more red and shoves his hands into his pockets. “My mom’s great and all, but I’d rather go with a friend.”

Will doesn’t ask why Finn’s not going with some of the other kids from Glee. He doesn’t really want to know the answer, and if Finn just hasn’t thought of it, Will doesn’t want to be the one to put the idea in his head. Besides, he’s already nodding, and when Finn grins at him Will knows he’s not going to turn Finn down.

“Okay. As long as it’s all right with your parents.”

“They’ll be cool with it,” Finn says, smile even brighter now and Will feels a funny little tug in the center of his chest. “Thanks, Mr. Schue. You’re the best.”

A second later he’s gone, leaving Will leaning against his desk, staring at his classroom door and wondering what, exactly, he just got himself into.

~

By the time Saturday morning rolls around Will’s talked himself into and then back out of canceling on Finn at least a dozen times. He knows he _should_ cancel, that he should tell Finn something came up and he can’t give up an entire Saturday to go wedding gift shopping with one of his students. But that’s the thing, because this isn’t just one of his students. This is one of his Glee kids, and they’re all special to him, but Finn...Finn’s something else entirely.

Will tries hard not to think about why, exactly. He tries not to treat Finn differently just because Will...well, he likes Finn best. That’s what it comes down to, really, and even though he’d never say so to the rest of Glee, they’ve all probably picked up on the fact that Finn’s his favorite.

Shannon’s certainly noticed, and Finn seems to have figured it out too. There’s no other explanation for the fact that Will’s standing in the small appliance section of the Target in west Toledo, watching Finn scan the printout of Kurt and Puck’s registry that they got from the machine at the front of the store.

“Who bought them the coffee maker?” Will asks, peering over Finn’s shoulder at the list.

He watches Finn turn a soft shade of pink, then Finn glances over his shoulder and Will realizes just how close they’re standing.

“Mom and Burt,” Finn answers, and when Will takes a step back Finn blushes a little harder. “Mostly Mom, I think. Burt’s still kind of having a tough time with the whole ‘married’ thing.”

Will clears his throat and nods, pretending he didn’t notice how close they were just a few seconds ago, or the fact that Finn did. “That’s understandable. It was fairly sudden; I think we were all taken by surprise.”

“Yeah, Kurt included,” Finn says, and when he grins Will can’t help laughing. It eases the tension a little, at least, and when Will reaches out to rest a hand on Finn’s shoulder it doesn’t feel all that weird.

“So what were you thinking about giving them?” he asks, glancing back down at the list in Finn’s hand.

For a second Finn just stares at him like he has no clue what Will’s talking about, but before Will can elaborate he blinks and looks down at the list. “Oh. Uh, I’m not really sure. I mean, I know Kurt’s jonesing for this one set of sheets, but they must be at the other store, because they’re not on this list. Anyway, it would be kind of weird to buy them sheets, right? I mean, he’s my brother and they’re going to be, like, _doing it_ on them.”

He blushes again, two pink spots in the center of his cheeks and just for a second Will’s tempted to reach out and find out if Finn’s blush is as warm as it looks. And it’s not the first time he’s wondered, but it’s the first time he’s been standing this close to Finn while he does. Will clears his throat and takes another step back and doesn’t point out that they’re just sheets, because now he’s picturing it too.

Except he’s not picturing Kurt and Puck, and driving all the way to Toledo with Finn is definitely the worst idea Will’s ever had.

Then again, maybe the worst idea he’s ever had was letting Finn spend the night in his hotel room in the first place. Finn was his favorite student before that, sure, but until that first night when he scraped Finn off the hallway carpet and didn’t take him back to his own room, Will had never wondered how Finn felt about _him_. Lately it’s all he thinks about, and it doesn’t help when Finn does things like insist Will attend his stepbrother’s wedding shower, then drag him all the way to Toledo to buy a present he could have ordered online.

He follows Finn down the aisle, stopping next to the toasters and waiting while Finn consults the list again. “A toaster’s totally a lame present.”

“I guess it depends on how much the person likes toast.”

Finn looks up long enough to grin at him, swaying forward just a little, but before Will has a chance to panic Finn’s looking past him. Will turns to follow Finn’s gaze, but before he spots whatever Finn’s looking at he finds himself being dragged down the aisle in the direction they just came. Finn stops in front of a display of waffle irons, his hand still wrapped around Will’s arm as though he doesn’t realize he’s touching.

“Finn?”

“Look,” Finn says, gesturing toward the waffle iron directly in front of him. “This one makes heart shapes.”

“Did they register for a waffle iron?” Will asks, frowning down at the list still clutched in Finn’s hand.

“No, but they probably would have if they’d thought of it. Puck goes crazy for waffles, and Kurt makes these waffles that are insane. He says it’s his mom’s recipe. I bet Puck doesn’t even know about them yet.”

“Well, marriage is a constant surprise,” Will concedes. “Some better than others.”

As soon as he says it Finn winces and turns away from the heart-shaped waffle iron. “Sorry, Mr. Schue, I guess I didn’t think about how you’d feel about shopping for somebody else’s wedding.”

“It’s fine, Finn,” Will says, but Finn doesn’t look much like he believes it, so Will reaches out to rest a hand on his shoulder. “Really. I’m fine. To be honest, having Terri out of my life has been kind of a relief.”

It’s true, and besides, it’s been a couple years now, so Will doesn’t even miss her anymore. What he misses is being part of something, having someone to talk to about his day and to be there for the good and the bad. And Terri was never really there -- not for the bad, at least -- so he’s not even sure he knows what that’s like.

“Maybe Mrs. Schuester just wasn’t the one, you know?” Finn says, and when he shrugs Will realizes that his hand’s still resting on Finn’s shoulder. “Maybe that person’s still out there waiting for you. Like Puck and Kurt -- they’re crazy about each other, but it took them forever to figure it out.”

“I hope so,” Will says, then he pulls his hand away from Finn’s shoulder. “So have you decided on the heart-shaped waffle iron?”

“Yeah, I think so. Kurt’s into the whole romance thing, so he’ll probably like the hearts, even if he won’t admit it. And Puck won’t care what shape they are, as long as they’re waffles.”

He picks up a waffle iron and sets it in the cart they’ve been pushing around since they got to the store. Well, technically Finn’s mostly been riding it down the aisles, giving it a push to get it going and then coasting on it until it rolls to a stop and he has to start all over again. Will’s trying hard not to find it cute, but he’s only human, and when Finn grins at him and gives the cart another push, Will laughs and follows him down the aisle.

They’re nearly at the end of the aisle when an elderly couple rounds the corner directly in Finn’s path. As soon as they spot him they stop, eyes wide and Will thinks of deer in headlights for a second before he comes to his senses long enough to grab both the cart and Finn at the same time. He pulls them to a stop barely a foot away from the couple, smiling apologetically before he steers Finn around them and down the next aisle.

Once they’re alone again Will realizes his hand’s still resting on Finn’s waist, and he flushes and pulls it away, glancing around even though there’s no way they’re going to run into anyone they know in Toledo. When he looks up he can see the blush creeping up Finn’s neck, eyes nearly as wide as the couple he nearly ran over, and Will can’t help grinning.

“Thanks, Mr. Schue. Taking out a couple old people with a shopping cart would have been almost as bad as the time I hit the mailman with my mom’s car.”

“You ran over a mailman?”

“It’s a long story,” Finn says, but he’s smiling again, so he must not have caused too much damage.

He follows Will to the checkout, and Will ditches the cart at a safe distance while Finn pays for his waffle iron. Once he’s done Will steers him toward the door, but before they make it outside Finn spots the Starbucks near the entrance.

“Hey, you want to grab some coffee or something?”

Will knows they’re going to have to get some food at some point; he’s known Finn long enough to know they can’t spend half the day together without Will having to feed him at some point. So that means sitting across a table from Finn long enough to eat lunch, and there’s still the trip to Pottery Barn and the drive back to Lima to get through. He opens his mouth to suggest that maybe they should just get going, but what comes out is, “Sure.”

The grin it gets him makes it almost worth the weird butterflies in Will’s stomach -- and that’s something he thought he grew out of at least ten years ago -- and he follows Finn into the coffee shop and up to the counter. He listens while Finn orders something with a lot of chocolate and whipped cream, working hard not to smile while he orders a skim latte and then hands over the money for both their coffees.

“It’s okay, Mr. Schue, you don’t have to...” Finn says, but Will just waves off his protest.

“You drove, Finn. It’s the least I can do.” He smiles when Finn’s cheeks turn pink again, watching the color spread across his skin. “Though now that I’ve seen your driving skills, I’m second guessing that decision.”

Finn snorts a laugh and reaches out to give Will a playful shove, and Will tries not to notice the warmth of Finn’s hand on his arm. Part of him expects Finn to ask _why_ Will let him drive, exactly. The truth is that Will considered offering, but as soon as he did he remembered the look on Shannon’s face when she found out Will had given his Glee kids his phone number. He could still hear her voice warning him about how much trouble he could get into for having student in his car, so instead of insisting on driving he’d let Finn pick him up.

He’s pretty sure Shannon wouldn’t see the difference between taking Will’s car and Will letting Finn pick him up at his place and drive them over an hour to Toledo, but he doesn’t plan on telling her about any of this, so it doesn’t matter. He ignores the weird feeling in his stomach and picks up his coffee from the end of the counter, then he follows Finn to a table near the front of the store and sits down across from him.

Finn’s staring in the direction of the cash registers, and when Will follows his gaze he spots the couple Finn almost took out with the cart. Will shakes his head and stifles a smile, turning back to Finn and reaching across the table to tap the back of his hand with his index finger.

“You didn’t hit them, Finn. Relax.”

Finn blinks, then he smiles down at the top of the table for a second, and Will pulls his hand back to a safe distance. “No, I know. I was just thinking...I mean I was wondering how long they’ve been together.”

Will steals another look over his shoulder, smiling at the couple in question before he turns back to Finn. “Hard to say. They could have met in a retirement community. Maybe they’re not even married.”

“What, you think they’re some hip old couple living in sin?” Finn says, grinning when Will laughs. “I mean, that’s cool if they are, but I don’t think so. See the way he kind of helps her get around? It looks like he’s pretty used to doing it.”

For a moment Will just watches Finn watching the couple, his chest tight and he knows he’s smiling like an idiot, but he can’t seem to help himself. Then Finn looks at him, and when he smiles back Will knows he’s in serious trouble.

“Maybe he’s just worried that some teenager with a shopping cart is going to try to take them out again.”

Finn laughs, then he blushes and looks away and just like that, the moment’s gone. Ruined, and Will tells himself he’s not sorry, because nothing can happen, no matter how much part of him might want it to.

For awhile neither of them say anything else; Finn’s still staring in the direction of the cash registers, even though the couple he almost ran over is long gone by now. Will, for his part, is trying not to stare at Finn, but it’s a losing battle when there’s nothing to distract him and no chance anyone they know is going to see them together.

As soon as he thinks it Will glances toward the doors, half expecting to see the rest of the Glee club walking in on a mission to pick out their own shower gifts. But they’re probably all safely back in Lima, ordering online the way Rachel intended. Will swallows a sigh and turns back to Finn, and when he finds Finn watching him he feels himself flush.

“So do you want to go check out the other registry before we eat, or after?” he asks, more for something to say than because he cares where they go next.

Finn frowns at him for a second, then he glances down at the bag sitting on the floor next to him. “I already got them a present.”

“I know,” Will says, and this time he doesn’t try to hide his smile. “But I haven’t. You said Kurt really wanted that sheet set, right? I doubt any of the kids is going to get it for him.”

“I told you, you don’t have to get them a present, Mr. Schue. You can just come as...just come to the party,” Finn says, stumbling over his words and Will’s heart skips a beat when he realizes what Finn didn’t say.

And this is exactly the reason he shouldn’t be here at all; Finn’s his student, at least for a few more weeks, and even after that the most Finn can be is his friend. But it seems that Finn wants at least that much, and Will’s already proven that he can’t say no when it comes to Finn.

“It was heavily implied by Rachel that anyone who received an invitation was expected to bring a gift,” Will says. “Besides, I’m happy for Kurt and Puck. I’d like to do something for them.”

Finn shrugs, but he’s grinning again and Will tries not to think about how much he’s going to miss that smile when Finn’s not around anymore. “Suit yourself. But I hope you know how to get there, because I don’t.”

~

Luckily Will had the foresight to map the directions from the Target to the Pottery Barn, and he manages to get them there with a minimum amount of complaint from Finn regarding his navigational skills. Finn’s still complaining about the one-way street Will almost made him turn down when they walk into the Pottery Barn, and Will rolls his eyes and bumps his shoulder against Finn’s.

“I was just following the directions. I don’t know Toledo any better than you do.”

Finn opens his mouth to answer, then he takes one look at the store and closes it again. For a second he just stands in front of a display of different types of fake fruit, frowning as though he’s trying to figure out what exactly he’s looking at.

“I take it you’ve never been in Pottery Barn before.”

Finn shakes his head and glances over at Will, cheeks coloring again when he catches Will smirking at him. “I figured they sold plates and stuff.”

“They do. Among other things.”

Will’s only been in the actual store a few times, but Terri used to pore over their catalog every season, marking pages of things they couldn’t afford. During her ‘pregnancy’ she’d insisted that they had to buy the baby’s bedroom set from Pottery Barn Kids, and Will spent plenty of sleepless nights trying to figure out how he was going to afford that.

He swallows a sigh at the memory and steers Finn further into the store, one hand on his elbow to keep Finn from colliding with anything breakable. They edge their way around a display of very breakable hurricane glasses, and when Will spots Finn frowning at them he nods toward the wall of candles.

“They’re to put over candles so the wind won’t blow out the flame. For outdoor entertaining, mostly, but some people just like the way they look.”

Finn nods, but he doesn’t look as though he really understands what Will’s saying. Not that it matters, because the chances of Finn going candle shopping any time soon are pretty slim. Will grins at the thought and steers him toward the cash register so they can get a printout of Kurt and Puck’s registry.

The girl behind the register smiles at them, and when Will tells her the names on the registry they need, she glances between him and Finn and smiles to herself this time. It’s an obvious conclusion to jump to, Will tells himself. They’re asking for the wedding registry of a same-sex couple, after all, and he and Finn probably look more like a couple than they should. Finn’s standing right next to him, anyway, shoulders brushing together every time Finn shifts his weight, like he’s afraid to move too far away from Will.

And it doesn’t matter what some girl at the Pottery Barn in Toledo thinks, but Will blushes anyway when he takes the list she prints out for them. He steers Finn away from the register to the back of the store, past a perfectly made bed that’s half covered in throw pillows. Finn’s still staring at the bed when Will spots the sheets Kurt has his heart set on, and they’re a little more than he planned on spending, but Shannon’s fond of Puck, so maybe he can get her to split them with him.

He glances at the list again to make sure he’s got the color right, then he picks up a set of navy blue sheets. “I would have thought Kurt had seen enough of this color after wearing a Dalton blazer for nearly a year.”

“Puck picked the color,” Finn says, his voice so close Will feels the words against his cheek. He starts and glances up to find Finn standing right behind him, peering over his shoulder at the sheets in Will’s hands. “He said something about them matching Kurt’s eyes. Then they started making out again, so I bailed.”

Will smiles and doesn’t ask why Finn was helping them register for their wedding gifts to begin with. It’s sort of sweet, in a strange way, especially after the growing pains Finn and Kurt went through during their sophomore year. It’s nice to see them becoming family, anyway, and he’s pretty sure Finn’s happy about it too.

“Then navy it is,” Will says. They head back to the cash registers without crashing into anything breakable, and this time when the girl behind the register smirks at them, Will just smiles back.

~

They end up at a Rally’s not far from the Pottery Barn, and in spite of his better judgment Will manages to let Finn convince him to order a cheeseburger and seasoned fries.

“You only live once, Mr. Schue,” Finn says, and Will has to swallow the urge to tell Finn not to call him that. Because he’s still Finn’s teacher, and at least for a few more weeks he can’t tell Finn to call him Will.

He orders the fries anyway, shaking his head as he takes a seat across from Finn and silently calculates the number of miles he’s going to have to run to burn off this meal.

“What?” Finn asks around a mouthful of burger, and Will hates himself a little for finding even that sort of charming. “There’s not a hair in your food or something, is there?”

“No,” Will answers, though he looks a little more closely at his burger as he says it, just in case. “I was just thinking about how much I’m going to have to run to burn this off.”

“You run?”

“You sound surprised,” Will says, laughing when Finn blushes again. “I ran track in high school, but the truth is I’m not as good about it as I’d like to be lately. Some days it’s hard to make myself get out of bed and put my running shoes on.”

Finn nods and reaches for his Coke, taking a sip before he answers. “Yeah, I’m a total slacker during the summer. Then I have to work twice as hard to get back in shape for football. It’s just easier when the team’s waiting for you to show up and work out with them, you know?”

“What about college ball?” Will asks. “When you first joined Glee you talked about a football scholarship.”

Finn shrugs, but he doesn’t look away, so Will figures he doesn’t mind talking about it, at least. “Let’s face it, I’m not good enough to play for OSU. It’s okay, though. Now that Mom’s married to Burt it’s a little easier to get financial aid. Something about them having two kids in school at the same time.”

“That’s great, Finn. I mean that you don’t have to worry so much about paying for school,” Will says. “But I hope you’ll still consider trying out for show choir. OSU’s got a very active Glee club.”

“Yeah, I took a look at their website. It looks pretty competitive.”

Will shrugs and pushes his half-finished fries in Finn’s direction, smiling when Finn takes the invitation without even hesitating. “They are competitive, but you’re really talented. They’d be lucky to have you.”

This time Finn’s blush starts at his collar and travels up, and when Will catches himself wondering exactly how far down it goes he clears his throat and reaches for his drink.

“Thanks, Mr. Schue. You’re a pretty awesome guy, you know that?”

Will thinks back to that first night in his hotel room, to lying in bed listening to Finn mumble nearly those exact words in the darkness. He feels his own face start to heat up and prays Finn’s too distracted thinking about college to notice. “So I’ve been told.”


End file.
